


BloodClan's Beginnings

by toboe_whisker



Series: Warrior Cats Requests [4]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Gen, Mild Gore, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-20
Updated: 2017-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:02:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23588089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toboe_whisker/pseuds/toboe_whisker
Summary: After lying about killing a dog, the cats of Twolegplace begin coming to Tiny with their problems. Initially, he struggles with the decision of whether he should help them or only help himself.This is the tale of a crucial choice that led to the end of Tiny and the rise of Scourge.
Series: Warrior Cats Requests [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1697959
Kudos: 3





	BloodClan's Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> This is a request from Coldy on G+ for a fanfiction about how BloodClan came together. I no longer take requests.
> 
> The Warrior Cats franchise is the property of Harper Collins publishing company and Erin Hunter, I own nothing but this story, Junonia, and Arson. All other characters and the setting are not mine.
> 
> Please Enjoy & Review!~
> 
> Definitions:  
> • Cycles = Moons; they are the 29.5 day periods it takes the moon to cycle through all of its phases.  
> • Light poles = Streetlights (Streetlamps)  
> • Meat Place = A pizza parlor, according to the comic.  
> • Stonestreet = sidewalks

The sky was a pale amber when Bone came to him with a tom he’d seen passing down  _ his _ orders in  _ his  _ alley many a time despite never knowing the red tabby by name. He’d been meaning to ask, but that was something that his past self would do.  _ Scourge _ couldn't allow himself to revert back to the ways of Tiny, he had a reputation to keep up. He was the dog slayer, not some fearfully polite scrap of fur, at least not anymore. 

He leaped down off the dumpster he was perched on to find out what they wanted of him. Ever since he’d told those alley cats that he’d killed a dog and stolen its tooth as a trophy, cats had started approaching him with their problems. They came slowly at first, only one or two cats every week or so, but once he’d scared the dog out of Bone and Brick’s alley, cats flocked to him in waves-- Bone and Brick spread the word. Strays from all over the city brought him trophies to put in his collar or pieces of food to last for days, some had even begun to wear bones in their own collars as well just to prove their loyalty to him. Scourge couldn’t refuse them, lest he takes a chance at losing their trust. Still, he hoped that there wasn’t another aggressive mutt on the loose-- he could only get lucky so many times with his white lies. He’d never actually touched a dog, let alone killed one.

Scourge approached his three visitors with a look of indifference on his face. The pitch-black tom was in a bad mood this afternoon despite his inner worries, and it was all because of the color of the early evening sky. Others may find the soft hue peaceful, but the warm shade reminded him too much of the eyes of the blasted tabby tom that had assaulted him all those cycles ago. No one except himself knew of this, of course; his followers simply chalked it up as another part of his cold disposition and left it at that. 

“Bone, who is this?” He regarded the massive red-and-white tabby with arrogant distaste. 

The other tom’s broad shoulders and chest were all too similar to the dark tabby that was already on his mind; the only thing that broke the similarities was the grimy, red leather collar around his neck. It had a half-splintered bone jammed through the silver ring and no tags or bells. Forest cat wore no collars or tags, and he certainly didn’t have any white fur, soot-stained or not. Still, this cat rubbed his coat the wrong way. 

“This is Arson, Scourge. He says that he has something very important to tell you,” Bone answered, his voice monotone yet husky when he addressed his leader. 

Scourge, despite already having lost his willingness to be civil with Arson, knew he would at least have to hear the large tom out. His shaded, ice-blue gaze bore into the brick wall behind his two lackeys as he waved his tail for the tabby to speak. 

“There is a group of cats causing trouble near the Meat Place. They’re terrorizing me and my family. My sister is heavy with a litter of kits, and I can’t protect her on my own. Please, can you help us?” He burst out, his composure forgotten. 

Urgency contorted Arson’s features, and for the first time that evening, Scourge noticed the deep gashes marring his visitor's body as his attention finally focused more on him. He had injuries that cross-crossed his entire torso and back, but the worst of the marks were on the former kittypet’s face. A sloppy line of semi-dried blood that ran from the base of Arson’s left ear, down his forehead, and stopped just below his eye. What little of the copper iris Scourge could see through Arson’s swollen eyelids was extremely irritated and turning a deep crimson. The wound looked so revolting that it made the young black tom want to wretch. It was the very first time that he’d ever seen an injury that wasn’t a scar, and although it certainly wouldn’t be the last, he’d never forget it. 

Scourge didn’t want anything to do with Arson after that. He needed to be alone--to get away from the angry, pink flesh and blood. He couldn’t think for a few heartbeats while his mind raced and he internally reverted back to Tiny. _Oh no, what do I do?!_ _What_ should _I do?!_

Luckily, his mouth seemed to be able to work without Scourge pulling the strings. “Can I? Yes. Will I? No,” He suddenly deadpanned, unable to formulate a better reason without breaking character. 

Scourge turned his back on the pair of toms after that, striding away like he had a purpose. He didn’t feel like waiting for a response.

_ Why did you say that? They needed your help!... No, he’s just like that tabby; Arson’s words cannot be trusted… That’s not true. He’s been loyal to me almost for as long as Bone and Brick have. Why didn’t we at least agree to investigate?… Look, if any cat asks, it was because he didn’t bring you a tribute. End of story,  _ his thoughts reasoned against each other, as a timid Tiny and a beyond sour Scourge disagreed. All of this was, of course, hidden behind a blank expression while the small, blue-eyed tom disappeared behind the dumpster he’d come from.

Not even a week later, Bone would return to him with Brick in order to discuss the same issue. The huge black-and-white tom and his dark russet companion reminded Scourge of the troublesome rogues after dark when his temperament was much more stable. He was going to refuse again, but then Brick called a tall, plump cinnamon calico off the stonestreet. 

The she-cat moved slowly towards him, obviously finding it hard to walk when another shoulder to lean on wasn’t present. A dented, gold bell swung almost silently from the bright green collar clipped around her neck, telling him of her origin without so much as a sound exchanged between them. 

Scourge mentally prepared himself for some ridiculous sob story.

OoO

Juno had hardly been in the heart of Twolegplace for more than a moon when rumors began to circulate about a cat that killed dogs. It was believable enough at first; after all, most dogs were rather empty-headed. Still, as the gossip quickly escalated into the cat being capable of solving  _ any  _ problem, she’d asked for further information. The moment Juno had heard the tom described, she'd dismissed them for exactly what the were-- tall tales that were just too good to be true. 

The stories all circulated around a tiny black tom she’d seen pass through here only once cycles ago during a visit with her late mate. She found it very hard to believe that such a cat was capable of saving himself from starvation, let alone an entire cluster of cats from an aggressive dog. He was just a kit, a bit of fluff with a collar not unlike her own. Why would cats want to flock to him with their issues? 

Nevertheless, the long-haired cinnamon calico was happy when the gossip finally started to dry up after a while, although this could be contributed to the fact that she hadn’t seen as many cats living behind the Meat Place anymore instead of the topic simply turning into a bore. At first, cats continued to use the parking lot as a shortcut to their next destination in search of food, but that rapidly changed since she’d moved to live behind the three dumpsters. The back lot of the Meat Place became void of feline life and Juno couldn’t figure out why. The location had been so popular when she came here. It was where she found love, and the place she’d run to following her abandonment one and a half cycles ago. 

She knew the reason why the young couple didn’t want her. Had they kept their beloved Maine Coon, her misdeeds would’ve nearly tripled the number of mouths that needed to be fed in their shared home. She figured that that was too much for the humans to handle. Still, street life was hard, and the  former house cat’s fluffy belly hung dangerously close to the ground. Every day was full of splintering cramps that ran across her abdominal muscles, making her unsure of how much more she could handle without the assistance of a white-coated human. 

Fortunately, her brother, who had become a streetcat long before she did, was currently taking care of her. Arson would fetch her meals and lead her to the bowls of water that the storekeeping humans set out on hot days. The large tom normally came by early in the morning and then after sunset during greenleaf because it was cooler outside, but she hadn’t seen him all week. 

  
  
  
  


The sun had long since dipped under the horizon by the time she finally heard her brother making his way between the heavy dumpsters. Relief flooded Juno’s chest, and she slowly pushed herself to her paws so she could greet him with a quick touch of their noses--as was their custom. However, it didn’t take her long to realize that the smaller, more scrawny silhouette was not her brother. 

She reflexively took a few steps back away from the tom, cautiously scenting the air while she moved. The mixed scents of pine, carrion, and peat that he carried all screamed stranger. Cats who frequented the streets rarely reeked of anything except paved monster lots and rubbish; Juno herself had begun to smell heavily of old brick walls and dirty dumpsters. 

She considered the possibility of this tom being a follower of the dog-fighting upstart, but that was swiftly ruled out. Most of the desperate cats that swarmed around the tiny black cat rarely crossed the street to this part of Twolegplace without a pressing cause. Arson was one of those few. Had he been like her brother, she would’ve tried to appeal to him. 

Nevertheless, Juno had no choice but to listen to what the stranger had to say or stand bravely against the sturdy tom if he wished to fight. Her stamina wasn’t what it once was and wouldn’t be so for at least another cycle, there was no way that she could hope to outrun him. 

She carefully unsheathed her claws, letting out a low, gruff warning growl in a sorry, last-ditch attempt at scaring him off. 

The chocolate tom wasn’t at all phased by Juno’s hostile behavior, almost appearing to have expected such a reaction, as he took another step towards her. 

She decided to give it a final try. “Come any closer and you’ll be leaving here without a nose,” Juno hissed in her darkest tone. Her pale green eyes flashed brightly in the dim yellow light as she tried to make herself appear as menacing as possible.

He ignored her threat and finally spoke up in a gruff, husky voice, “Look, I’m tired and it’s clear that you’re in no state to fight me, kittypet, so if you’d just come quietly, we won’t have a problem, got it?”

Junonia was tempted to disagree, but knew that she had to think of her kits; she couldn’t risk losing them, they were a lot she had left of  _ him _ . She reluctantly sheathed her claws and followed the tom out from behind the three dumpsters. 

When they stepped out into the harsh yellow glow of the light poles, Juno noticed that she was surrounded by at least five other toms, none of which gave off the air of being from the streets before now. She was also able to get a better look at the cat that had strong-armed her into leaving the one place she had thought to be safe enough for a nursery in the heart of Twolegplace. Numerous sizeable scars lined the chocolate tom’s body, but especially his face; it was as though another cat had intentionally left claw marks there. Junonia found it quite unsettling at first, but she swiftly gathered her  equanimity .

“Alright, what do want with me?” She asked, her thick, patterned coat standing on end. Juno didn’t know who she was addressing, but she also didn’t plan on staying near this sneering group of toms any longer than she needed to be. 

“Well, fresh blood would be nice, but seeing as that’s not possible with a queen like you, we’ll settle for the quick and easy way,” a scarred, white tom much closer to her size spoke up, “That is, unless you’d prefer doing this the hard way.” He lifted a six-toed, jet-black paw and made a motion like he was shaking the dirt from his claws. 

Juno held back an expression of offense in favor of biting out her own response. “Oh yeah, and what’s the hard way?”

The cinnamon calico immediately regretted challenging them when she was forced to swallow a hysteric howl as a large, dark tabby tom with an unusually ragged coat picked a limp pile of red-and-white fur up and tossed it down from the dumpster it laid on. Junonia would recognize those blazing copper eyes anywhere no matter how damaged and narrow they were. They belonged to Arson. 

He was barely breathing when she ran to him, and every breath set his diaphragm trembling. As if on cue, her body protested her sudden rise in stress with a powerful bout of cramping that gathered in her abdomen and made her own exhales come out in the form of shallow pants. Juno felt nauseous as she leaned down to nudge Arson’s cheek with her salmon-colored nose. He didn’t stir, and she heard a foul chuckle sound from behind her when her brother’s head dropped--almost lifelessly--back onto the cobblestones. Junonia wanted to sob, but the calico fought back her sorrows while she was still trapped in the wicked stares of the rogues. She mustn't show weakness in the presence of such brutes.

The tall, molly knew she needed to act quickly. She rose, shaking, to her paws, forcing her body to keep her white claws sheathed. Then Juno nosed her brother to his paws whilst fighting to ignore the throbbing, pulsing aches that were shooting through her pelvis. 

Once she got Arson up, she faced the scarred dark tabby that had thrown her brother down to her. He was obviously the one in charge. The other cats clearly respected the brute that loomed over them with white and red clumps of fur stuck between his claws. Oh, how she wished she could jump up there and claw out those cocky orange eyes of his. Juno never thought she could hate someone so much. 

Seething, she met his gaze, “I’ll go quietly, thank you. Have a  _ great _ night.” Malice--cold and dark--laced her every word.

Her eyes caught the movement of a tom near the back of the bunch just as she finished speaking. The ears of the skinny, gray rogue were tipped back slightly like something wasn’t quite to his taste. His expression openly read that he didn’t agree with a queen being forced to leave her home, still, he said nothing to stop it and offered her no help whenever she faltered under Arson’s weight during her retreat.

OoO 

“You see, these rogue cats are causing a lot of trouble, Scourge. We’re afraid that they’re going to start killing cats. Will you help us?”

Scourge let out a heavy, annoyed sigh despite how good it felt to know that these cats trusted him enough to solve their problems. As much as he enjoyed the idea of holding their lives between his claws, he was just a cat, and he didn’t know how to handle an entire band of enemies on his own. He hadn’t actually fought either of those dogs, let alone killed them, and now he was expected to handle a serious threat.

How was he going to do this? 

The small black tom took a deep breath and lifted his chin, pushing down his doubts. He needed to be able to focus on following where Junonia led Bone, Brick, and himself to these rogues, especially while they crossed the street. He rarely came over this way, even though it was usually his main source of food. 

Before long, the quartet arrived at a wide alley located behind the Twoleg Meat Place. As they neared the midway point, Scourge started to pick up the familiar scent of the forest. He quickly became more alert.  _ Maybe that tabby, Tigerpaw, has come back… Maybe it’s my turn for some payback now.  _ Although, to his disappointment, the alley appeared to be void of life. 

Scourge didn’t hesitate to make Juno venture on ahead as a possible decoy while the others hung back to wait for the right time to confront the rogues. Junonia had hardly made it to the set of dumpsters near the back prior to being approached by a dark tabby with a bent tail. Scourge’s blue eyes widened then narrowed ever so fractionally once he realized that the tabby wasn’t the one he had hoped.

_ Next time, _ he promised himself as he temporarily left the alley alongside Bone and Brick.

Regardless of who that cat was, an intruder was an intruder, and he would be sure to dispose of such threats properly.

Scourge watched angrily as Junonia was easily cornered by the rogue. 

“You think that you can just come strutting back in here, and take food without my say-so, huh?” The crooked-tailed tom growled, slamming Juno to the ground with unsheathed claws. Lean, powerful muscles rippled under his ragged coat from the sudden rush of movement. 

There was fear in the calico’s pale green eyes as she faced the massive brute. Her mouth gaped open, but not a word exited her throat. 

The forest cat bellowed a command in the queen’s face, “Get over there and bring me something to eat, kittypet! Then I’ll decide what I should do to you.” 

Driven by rage towards the other tom’s nerve, Scourge decided to take action. He didn’t want Juno to lose her life or the lives of the kits inside of her. 

“Hey, you! Leave her alone, and get out,” he began to hiss, his black fur bristling along his back as he advanced on the large intruder.

At the sound of his voice, the tabby backed off of Juno, although he was sure to maneuver himself between her and Scourge. Two other cats also stepped out from the back end of the alley to see what the commotion was about.

“Trouble, Brokenstar?” A sturdy, brown tom asked, sending a hostile, orange scowl Scourge’s way.

“Would you like us to take care of it?” The second cat, a gray-and-brown she-cat requested. 

“No, trouble would be _bigger_. This is just a nuisance,” Brokenstar, as he was called, bared his fangs at Scourge with a sneer, “Feeling lucky, runt? You want to talk? If I speak, it will only be to address the leader of this ramshackle dump.”

“Then y _ ou _ speak to  _ me _ ,” Scourge returned, curling his lip. 

“Me, speak to you?!” 

The group let out a burst of raucous laughter. 

“You? The leader? Why, you’re nothing but a tiny, little kittypet,” the dark tabby chuckled. 

The she-cat spoke next, a wide grin on her face as she unsheathed her claws for emphasis, “Tell you what, kittypet. We may just be passing through, but while I’m here, I’ll let you be my servant. So, go fetch me some water, kitty. NOW.” 

The three cats laughed at Scourge, again, just like Ruby and Socks used to. He could tell that Bone and Brick were beginning to doubt him. Fear rose in his chest, but it rapidly turned to fury. His blood turned white-hot at their mockery. _ I am not small. I am not weak. I am not Tiny; I am Scourge, and this is my territory. If they won’t give me the proper respect I deserve… _

Scourge began to advance on the she-cat, and before she could react, he unsheathed his claws and aimed for her throat. She bled out in mere heartbeats, and in his rage, Scourge relished the expressions of shock on the surrounding cats’ faces, enemy or ally. He saw it as a necessary display of power. His cats obviously needed someone to show them what they are capable of, and he was the one that would do it. 

Without being called, more of Scourge’s cats finally showed themselves, moving behind him in a nearly fluid motion to close their ranks. Bone and Brick came to stand on either side of him as Junonia also managed to run to his safety. Every cat was ready to prove their loyalty to him and would be his backup if needed. Their attention and support flooded his mind with confidence. 

After Brokenstar recovered from the initial shock of what he’d just witnessed, he responded as though they were resolving some petty dispute over a stolen chicken bone. “Feh, I’ve had my fill of this disgusting place. Come on, it’s time that we returned to the forest, anyhow,” he fumed at the sturdy tom who was still gaping at the molly’s lifeless body. Then the pair left with the rest of Brokenstar’s lackeys, leaving the corpse behind. 

Once they were gone, Scourge instantly turned back to the dead rogue. All his cats needed now was a gesture. He knew what would get the point across to them, so he spun around and swiftly kicked dust over the body as though he were disposing of filth. He never looked back at the she-cat again. This would teach them to show no mercy. 

**“I had to have ice in my veins to do what I just did. I expect the ice to melt…”**

“No one takes any food from Meat Place without my permission,” Scourge commanded, glaring out over his cats like he’d hurled a threat at them.

  
**But it doesn’t. It just gets colder and colder. And I** **_welcome_ ** **it.”**

**Author's Note:**

> This is my take on how BloodClan began. It begins after Scourge has defeated the dog in Twolegplace, but before he has trouble with Brokenstar. This tale is written mostly in Scourge's point of view but it also from the point of view of a character of mine that was made solely for this story, named Junonia. The only reason she's here is to help build up the setting and Scourge's character a bit more than what was given in "The Rise of Scourge" comic.


End file.
